Lynn Yamada Davis,??? ?? ?? ??? the cook and social media star who had close to 30 million followers, passed away on Jan. 1 of esophageal cancer. She was 67.
Known as Lynja, Yamada Davis started making “Cooking with Lynja” videos with her youngest son, Tim, in 2020. A video in which she made a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich went viral, showcasing her quirky personality and funny dance moves.
Her son announced her passing in a video in which he shared some favorite photos of his mom.
“The Internet’s grandma, she was the best. So glad you got to experience what a wonderful person she was,” he said.
Yamada Davis won three Streamy Awards, which honor excellence in online video, from 2021 to 2023. She had 17.9 million followers on TikTok, 9.64 million subscribers on YouTube, and 2.2 million followers as of Jan. 12. and was named to Forbes’“50 Over 50” list in 2023.
In a post on Instagram, son Sean Akira Davis, a professional soccer player, said that “Cooking with Lynja” offered his mom the opportunity to make millions happy, even as she battled cancer.
“The final chapter my mom wrote had everything she could have ever wanted: the time of her life cooking, meeting great people, eating incredible food, traveling to amazing places, and most importantly to her, bringing joy to people everywhere,” Davis wrote.
“All with her youngest son, my brother, the creative genius that helped bring it all together. There’s that saying ‘Never meet your heroes.’ But ‘Cooking with Lynja’ was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to our mom’s greatness.”
A Sansei born in New York City, Yamada Davis grew up in Fort Lee, N.J. and graduated from MIT with a degree in civil engineering and from Columbia University with a Masters of Public Health. She worked at AT&T Labs for 29 years as a project manager and systems engineer.
Yamada Davis lived in Holmdel Township, N.J. She and her first husband, Hank Steinberg, had two daughters together. Following their divorce, she married Keith Davis, with whom she had two sons.
Private services were held with family and close friends on Jan. 9.